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All in the family time...

It is noble to help starving children overseas, to adopt shelter animals and to
donate money to charitable and research hospitals. In return, some offer you a T-
shirt, certificate, tote bag or monthly pictures and thank-you cards.

My two favorite charities are a national organization that
helps people down-on-their-luck and trains them for work, and a children's
hospital where nobody is turned away because they can't pay. Turns out one of my
sons has given generously — meaning even more than me — to the same
hospital. It is our way of saying thanks for having, between us, seven healthy
and happy (most of the time) children.

Global giving notwithstanding, there are times when charity
begins closer-to-home. Maybe this is one of them. Superstorm Sandy barely
clipped the D.C. area. We stocked up as per usual. Our comfort kit is white
milk, white bread and toilet paper. All we got was some cold rain.

Other parts of the Atlantic coast got slammed. New Jersey and
New York took a major hit. We've all seen the TV shots of the Jersey shore,
flooding in lower Manhattan, etc. People are still without power, heat or fuel.
Cops are monitoring gasoline rationing in stations which have the electric power
to run the pumps. Many ATMs are out. Some people's homes are gone or
uninhabitable.

They can use our support and (if that's your thing) prayers.
But also, they can use cash. Like now.

There are many ways we can help. The Red Cross and Salvation
Army are obvious choices. And there are many more.

For federal and postal workers, there is an obvious choice: FEEA. The Federal Employees
Education and Assistance Fund. FEEA gets its money from some very generous
corporate sponsors (GEICO, Blue Cross-Blue Shield, LTC Partners), and from some
very generous federal workers. Some contribute with each paycheck via the
Combined Federal Campaign. Others, at times like now, contribute directly.

Members of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees
Association hit by the hurricane can apply for grants of up to $500 through the
NARFE-FEEA fund. They must have documentation of damage or need. Those wishing to
apply can do so by clicking here. Or, call (800) 338-0755. Remember,
the lines are busy, and they are staffed by volunteers.

To donate to the NARFE-FEEA fund members can send tax deductible
donations to:

You can also donate by credit card by calling (800) 338-075 or by clicking here. Select "NARFE-FEEA Relief
Fund" from the drop down menu in the Gift Designation Section.

The National Treasury Employees Union (one of the co-founders of
FEEA) has pledged to match up to $25,000 based on member contributions to FEEAs's
NTEU Fund. More than 30 major federal installations (as well as the homes of
workers) were right in the Hurricane Sandy bullseye.

All East Coast victims of the hurricane can download an
application by clicking
here.

Before settling on "The Army Goes Rolling Along," the Army planned to name "The
Army's Always There" as its official song. The plan was scrapped, though, because
it sounded too similar to a popular 1940s tune "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of
Coconuts."

Tips for Open Season 2013Open Season started Monday and runs through Dec. 10. During this period,
federal employees can choose a different health care plan within the Federal
Employee Health Benefits Program.

Federal-employee, veterans
groups assail proposal to limit COLAs
Congress returns next week and is expected to begin work on an alternative to the
across-the-board budget cuts, known as sequestration, slated to go into effect in
January. But some federal-employee groups and veterans organizations say a
legislative proposal that would result in lower cost-of-living adjustments for
federal and Social Security retirees is a non-starter.

Obama, Boehner hint at
openness to compromise on taxes, spending
President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner are signaling they're open
to some compromise on a taxes and spending to prevent more financial pain in the
new year, but the two sides are digging in on raising taxes for wealthier
Americans. Obama said Friday that his re-election gave him a mandate to pursue
that position because "the majority of Americans agree with my approach." Boehner
is still insisting that raising tax rates as Obama wants "will destroy jobs in
America."